House Passes Major Climate Change Bill

German chancellor speaks to joint session

(AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by exhorting the world in a speech to Congress to "tear down the walls of today" and reach a deal to combat global warming. Merkel, frequently interrupted by robust applause, also reiterated her country's commitment to fostering security in Afghanistan and said that a nuclear bomb in the hands of Iran "is not acceptable." More»

The president may face tough questions on N. Korea, Iran, and climate change

(NEWSER) - President Obama will get a respite from America’s rancorous political scene when he appears at the United Nations next week, but he may find international squabbles just as heated, Economist writes. An enthusiastic multilateralist, Obama is loved by leaders around the world. But topics like North Korea, Iran, and climate change could blow a little chill into their international love-fest. More»

But president, Congress need help cementing it

(NEWSER) - Political winds have shifted in America, says Bill Clinton: The country has “entered a new era of progressive politics which, if we do it right, could last 30 or 40 years,” the former president told liberal Internet activists at a convention in Pittsburgh. But first, he told Netroots Nation, “the president needs your help, and the cause needs your help” with health care reform and climate change legislation, Politico reports. More»

Lawmakers snorkeled, visited South Pole

(NEWSER) - Snorkeling, scuba diving, and penguin-watching were on the agenda when 10 members of Congress went on an 11-day trip to study climate change in early 2008, a Wall Street Journal investigation finds. Lawmakers from both parties, along with six spouses, visited New Zealand, Antarctica, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef on the trip, which, to some, sounds suspiciously like a jaunt to tourist hot spots. More»

(NEWSER) - The Senate will soon debate the climate bill passed by the House, but “even if we do get a global-warming law for the first time in 2009, in a sense we’ve already failed,” write Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum on BuzzFlash. The issue’s 20 years old, but an unwitting coalition of reticent scientists, ideological pols, and an uninformed public prevented action “back when it would have been far easier and cheaper.” More»